Rebel Girls Book Club

This week maggie and Harmony look at a short story from the book Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. They explore themes of fetishization, cultural appropriation, and one very weird babysitting nightmare. What we're reading: The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar https://bookshop.org/a/9908/9781501169052 Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery https://bookshop.org/a/9908/9780553233704 To...

This week Maggie and Harmony read Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton. They explored the themes of voice, intelligence, and fame.  In this episode: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/margaret-cavendish/ http://www.lablit.com/article/411 https://www.bl.uk/people/margaret-cavendish http://womenwriters.digitalscholarship.emory.edu/content.php?level=div&id=atomic_010&document=atomic To...

This week Maggie is buckling down at a new job, Harmony is drowning in midterms, and they're both worrying about election day. Take a break from 2020 with us in this fun booktag episode. We will be back next week talking about Margaret the First (Maggie's namesake) by Danielle Dutton. Be sure to tell us about your favorite fall reads by emailing Rebelgirlsbookclub@gmail.com. Action resources: Go v...

This week Maggie and Harmony explore Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. Maggie reads a version edited by our favorite, Carmen Maria Machado, and Harmony listens to an Audible dramatized adaptation. They explore narrative lenses, the meaning of lesbian vampires, and orientalism in the text. Support LGBTQ+ rights https://www.lambdalegal.org/know-your-rights/article/youth-ally https://www.hrc.org/ https:/...

This week Maggie and Harmony examine everyone's favorite gothic author, Mary Shelley and one of her short stories, "The Invisible Girl." They examine Shelley's radical parents, her gothic worthy life, and her subversive spin on the Gothic genre. They also examine "The Invisible Girl," as the 1800's version of an empowering fairy tale. In this episode: https://americanliterature.com/author/mary-she...

Maggie and Harmony tackle The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo this week. They explore the contrast between Eastern and Western literature and colonization through a westernized perspective of masculinity and femininity. What we're reading: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer https://bookshop.org/a/9908/9780316592635 Anne of Avonlea  by L. M. Montgomery https://bookshop.org/a/9908/9781442490024 Action...

This week Maggie and Harmony read two stories from Points of Departure by Pat Murphy,  “His Vegetable Wife” and "Women in the Trees." They explore societal lenses of femininity and depictions of domestic abuse survivors.   What we're reading:  Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler  https://bookshop.org/a/9908/9781538732182   The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett &n...

Maggie and Harmony read page 188 to the end of Red Clocks by Leni Zumas. They dig into the weeds on wife and motherhood, and what it feels like to be trapped in circumstances and the ways in which women weaponize their societal roles against each other. Action Resources: Justice for Breonna Taylor https://www.instagram.com/p/CFhfh4chNjo/?hl=en https://www.standwithbre.com/ https://action.justicefo...

Maggie and Harmony read the second book in the Earthseed series, Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler. In this episode, they explore toxic masculinity, high standards for mothers, and the ways religion can be used for social change. Action resources: Help those on the Westcoast dealing with wildfires https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/wildfire-relief.html https://www.ca...

This week join Maggie and Harmony as they read up to page 187 of Red Clocks by Leni Zumas. They explore healthcare in the U.S. and white feminism. Action resources: Support reproductive care in the U.S. https://www.bustle.com/p/11-organizations-like-planned-parenthood-to-donate-to-34394 https://www.bustle.com/articles/197444-7-reproductive-rights-organizations-to-donate-to-on-giving-tuesday Oregon...

Maggie and Harmony explore a dystopian California in the 2020s with Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower . This book recently made the New York Times bestseller list, in part, because of it's parallels to current day society. Our hosts explore empathy, gendered leadership, guns as a necessity for survival, and the role of faith in society's progression. In this episode: https://www.brookings.edu/...

Maggie and Harmony explore a story published in 1981 this week, "The World's Greatest Fisherman," by Louise Erdrich, which later became the first chapter of her debut novel Love Medicine. The story explores the dynamics of a Chippewa family after one member goes missing. Harmony and Maggie discuss racial dynamics, domestic abuse, feminine solidarity, and the effects of Native American genocide. In...

Maggie and Harmony kick off season two with their favorite text of 2020, In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado. In this episode, they dive into trauma, healthy relationships, and gendered violence.  What we're reading :  Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler  https://bookshop.org/a/9908/9781538732182   The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett   https://booksho...

This week Maggie and Harmony bring on special guest, Zine Queen Meg to talk about the intersection between art and activism.  In this episode: Zine History https://bit.ly/2CPCWBf #BoringSelfCare https://www.instagram.com/makedaisychains/?utm_source=ig_embed Hungry for a Conspiracy https://www.etsy.com/listing/171714034/hungry-for-a-conspiracy-conspiracy Plants Against the Patriarchy https://e...

Maggie and Harmony kick off another Bite-Sized Bits decade by exploring "Martha" by Audre Lorde. Lorde, a famous feminist and American writer, is often not talked about enough when it comes to her poetry. "Martha," published in 1970, was her coming out piece. It explores death and rebirth, loss, coming out, and uncertainty as central themes. You can read it for yourself here: http://themirrorpoetr...

This week Harmony and Maggie celebrate pride by reflecting on marginalized communities and the right for everyone to feel comfortable, safe, and loved in their own skin and identities. They explored two poems, "dear white America " by Danez Smith and "The Company You Keep: a Poem for my Family" by Vita E. In this episode: HRC https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-trans-and-gender-non-...

This week Maggie and Harmony read the article "Remember, No One is Coming to Save Us" by Roxane Gay and use the article as a baseline for a discussion on allyship to the Black Lives Matter movement. They also read "For Our White Friends Desiring to be Allies," by Courtney Ariel,  "I Don't Know What to Do With Good White People" by Brit Bennett, and use an excerpt from Untamed by Glennon Doyle...

This week, Maggie and Harmony discuss Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah, a young adult novel about a second-generation Australian-Palestinian girl's choice to wear the hijab.  They dive into identity, belief,  race, microaggressions, healing empathy, and sexuality. Are you feeling overwhelmed about racial inequality in the U.S.? We are too! Here's some resources we've...

Maggie and Harmony are joined by the magnificent Elena for a discussion on If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim. They discuss women's roles in East Asain society, displacement and isolation, the importance of being selfish,  and intergenerational abuse. More on intergenerational abuse: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/impact/long-term-consequences-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/abuse/ https...

Maggie and Harmony, surprise you all with the 1960's Bite-Sized Bits. They analyze the short story "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen. In this episode, they dissect motherhood, privilege, unreliable narrators, and identity. Read the story here: https://www.shortstoryproject.com/story/i-stand-here-ironing/?fbclid=IwAR0SoPTdMQv13lDVa1rRobZoxAngkAozr4ADBNQNVruvhOCuFpUhYM8pjss What We're Reading:...

Welcome and happy Mother's Day! This week Harmony sits down to talk about feminism and reading with her mom. They also discuss the book No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir by Ani DiFranco. Tune in for lots of mom love. Warning: There is some talk of trans exclusionary viewpoints and an accidental misgendering around 1:15 to 1:22. What we're reading Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïs...

This week we're continuing our Bite-Sized Bits series by examining two poems written by Caribbean author and social activist, Phyllis Shand Allfrey. We read and analyze "Resistance" ( Palm and Oak , 1950)and "Nocturne" ( Contrasts , 1955), and reflect on activism following the wake of Mayday and white feminism. Tune in to here Allfrey's beautiful poetry and learn more about this overlooked and con...

Unfortunately, we were unable to record this week please enjoy this blooper reel and tune in next week for a Bite Sized Bits Through the Ages episode about Phyllis Shand Allfrey. To follow our episode schedule go here https://medium.com/rebel-girls-book-club/read-along-with-the-show-bde1d80a8108 Follow our social media pages at Instagram   https://www.instagram.com/rgbcpod/ Facebook   ht...

Are you a Queen Bee or a Worker Bee? The majority of us are worker bees, but one lucky entrepreneur crowned herself queen. This week Maggie and Harmony dissect capitalism, labor, hobbies and the ethics of beekeeping as presented in a beekeeping manual, Honey Bee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper by  C. Marina Marchese, the founder of Red Bee Honey.  In this episode: https://archive.v...

In honor of Earth day, which is on April 22, Maggie and Harmony are spending the rest of April exploring climate-related stories. The Bees by Laline Paull is not only a surprisingly riveting tale about the life of one personified sanitation bee, but also delves into feminist themes. It explores race, hierarchy, reproductive justice, individualized versus communal love, nature versus nurture and th...